Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi…I just get a sick, twisted pleasure in manipulating her characters to do what I want…

Secrets Beneath the Surface

The Next Step

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Rin asked, the smile on her flushed face falling slightly with worry as her father stared at her in silence.

Sesshoumaru took a deep cleansing breath before opening up his mouth to speak. "Rin, what happened to your ears?"

Rin's eyes widened as Sesshoumaru gently fingered the satiny soft appendage with his thumb and forefinger. "Daddy! No! Don't look at Rin! I'm sorry I'm different! Please don't be mad, Daddy!" she whimpered, her voice becoming muffled as she flung her comforter over her head, her shoulders shaking visibly under the blanket as she began to cry.

"Rin, don't cry; I'm not mad. Who told you that rubbish?" he asked as he slid the blanket from her face and wiped away the tears that were falling down her cheeks. He gently gathered her in his grasp and rocked her in his arms, nuzzling his face into her neck and breathing deeply. His eyes shot open as he encountered the mixed smells that made up her parentage. Yes, he was the father, but Kagura…Kagura was most definately not Rin's mother.

"Rin," he asked as he turned his daughter to face him in his lap. "why would I be mad?" he asked, hoping this question might help him understand some part of this confused mess he found himself muddled in.

Rin sniffed as she rubbed her eyes sleepily, "Mama said people wouldn't like me if they saw me like this. She said I had to drink the yucky stuff or nobody would like me. She said you wouldn't wanna play with a dirty half-breed." She said, the last part of the sentence coming out as no more than a whisper as tears leaked from her eyes once more.

Sesshoumaru was startled at this. "Rin, I could never hate you." He said gently as he pulled his daughter in his arms and stood. "Now how about you and I go get some breakfast before we go out for the day? We're going to visit some of Daddy's friends, and if there is some time left over, you and I can go to the park for a while. How does that sound?" he asked as they walked down the hall. Rin nodded wordlessly and placed her head on her father's chest as she closed her eyes.

Sesshoumaru unbuckled his sleeping daughter from her car seat and hoisted her securely in his arms. After breakfast and a quick clean-up for the both of them, Sesshoumaru had situated Rin in the car for a short fifteen minute ride to their first stop.

Quickly making his way to the third floor of the complex, careful along the way not to jostle the slumbering child in his arms, he stopped at his destination. He rapped on the door a few times before a distinctly feminine voice broke through the sound and a latch securing the door shut was slid over, the door pushed open to reveal the brown haired woman on the other side.

Sango stared at the man before her before noticing the child clasped in his arms…along with the furry, silver ears that tipped her head. She huffed decidedly before motioning the two of them in. "I guess I should explain." She said as she crossed her arms and closed the door behind her guests, motioning for them to take a seat on the couch as she leaned heavily on the armrest of the chair. It seemed Kagome's well-kept secret was out, and there wasn't a thing in the world Sango could do about it.

Kagome sighed for what seemed to be the millionth time that day. "I'm not an invalid, you know." She huffed as Souta tucked the covers around her much like their mother had when they were children or sick.

"I know," Souta said, his hands on his hips, "but you just got home from the hospital last night, and you need some time to recover. I know Kouga and I aren't the neatest people, but we have little time to clean with our busy schedules at the hospital." Souta explained apologetically as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

"All the more reason to let me clean it." Kagome chirped with a grin as her brother turned from her.

"I'm serious, Sis. I don't want you to clean right now. Rest for today; if you still feel like cleaning the place up tomorrow, I'll let you, but for now, can't you just rest?" Souta pleaded impatiently.

Kagome sighed in defeat before grabbing the remote to the TV before her. There was no denying it; she was bored to death, and as soon as her brother left for his shift within the next couple of hours, she would be up and about…and the mountain of pizza boxes and piles of dirty laundry would be the first things to go when she did. "Yeah, I guess so." She said as she pulled the covers closer around her with a stifled yawn.

"So, have you called Sesshoumaru yet to tell him what's going on?" Souta shouted from the other room.

Kagome glared at the doorway before shifting that glare to the phone clasped tightly in her hand. "No!" she shouted back. She stared dolefully at the TV, unable to focus on whatever was on at the moment. She really had no excuse for not having called him yet. She didn't have his number in her phone, but she had it memorized to the point that placing it in the phone was unnecessary. She had to be strong. This had to be done, maybe not for her sake, but for the sake of her children if nothing else.

She ran her fingers over the smooth exterior of the phone before placing it on the table beside her. She would call, but not now…maybe not today, but it would happen…she just needed the courage to tell Sesshoumaru she was having twins, and he was the father. It was easy, right?

Sesshoumaru stared at Sango as if she had grown another head; Rin was still dozing next to him on the couch. The story Sango had just told him sounded so…preposterous…but the look on Sango's face told him it was all true.

He shook his head in the hopes that some of the information he had just soaked up would make more sense. Kagome had sacrificed so much for him. She had given up so much, so that he could be happy. The irony of it all was that he would have been so much happier had he known the truth. Things would have been different, but for the better.

His thoughts turned to his wife, and he bared his teeth threateningly. Oh, and Kagura would pay dearly for her digressions concerning Kagome. Not only had she assaulted and threatened a pregnant woman, a woman pregnant with his pup, she was also responsible for feeding Rin potions to hide her true identity from him. Yes, the bitch would pay.

"Where is Kagome now?" he asked as he stood, gathering Rin back into his arms.

"She…she went to live in America with Souta. Here's her information, her apartment address and number as well as her new cell phone. What will you do when you get there?" she asked hesitantly as she handed him a quickly written piece of paper.

Sesshoumaru regarded her silently for a minute before answering calmly. "I will bring her home, and she will take her rightful place as my wife, where she should have been all along." He said as he turned towards the door.

"You can leave Rin here if you want." Miroku, who had walked in mid-tale, offered as Sesshoumaru reached out for the door handle.

Without missing a beat, Sesshoumaru had the door open and was out the door as he answered, his voice booming over the silence of the room. "That will be unnecessary as I wish for Rin to meet her real mother. I will give Kagome your regards, Sango."

And with that, the shut behind him, two mystified beings stood staring at the door in bewilderment. Sango laid her head on her husband's shoulder, "Do you think we did the right thing?" she asked as she looked up at him from under her lashes from her perch.

"I think we did the only thing we could do in the situation. Whether it was the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do, my dear, only time will tell." He said with a sigh. "I just hope we did, for Kagome's sake more than anything else."

YaY! Another chapter complete, and it's not even Christmas break yet! I'm on a roll! Lol…Well, let me know what you think about this chapter as reviews really do help me update more often with longer chapters. Yes, a chapter this length is long for me most of the time due to time constraints with classes, work and all. Well, until next time! TTYL